The present application relates to a remote control apparatus for controlling an electric apparatus and a communication system.
In related art, a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet is available. For example, a technique is known wherein a signal including URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information of a network service relating to a television broadcasting program is multiplexed with and transmitted together with a television image signal and a television broadcasting receiver for receiving the signal establishes a connection to an access point corresponding to the URL through the Internet to receive data and outputs and displays a corresponding homepage to and on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). The technique is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-162818.
Meanwhile, another technique is known wherein a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet uses information recorded on an information recording medium such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card to carry out various data processes on the Internet. The technique is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-67412.
In such a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet as described above, an IC card is brought to a position in the proximity of a reader/writer built in or externally connected to a television apparatus body, and information which is read out from and/or is to be written into the IC card is transferred through the Internet. For example, where a user downloads and enjoys a content such as a movie or a playing game, an IC card is brought to a position in the proximity of the reader/writer and information recorded in the IC card is sent through the television receiver to pay a purchase price of the content. On the other hand, when the user carries out a normal operation for a television receiver such as sound volume adjustment or channel changeover, an operation instruction is inputted to a remote control apparatus or remote controller placed at a location spaced by a predetermined distance from the television receiver and is sent to the television receiver.
In this instance, although a normal operation instruction to the television receiver is inputted by operation of the remote control apparatus, where an IC card is applied to the television receiver for purchase of a content or the like, the user must bring the IC card to the television receiver, and this is not good in convenience in use to the user.